Laura E. Franey

Laura E. Franey serves as Associate Professor of English in the Department of English at Millsaps College, teaching literature, communication studies, and Connections courses while co-directing the Millsaps Quality Enhancement Project focused on metacognition and formative feedback in writing instruction.

Her educational background includes a Ph.D. in English from the University of California, Los Angeles and an M.A. in Communication Studies from the University of Alabama. Research centers on women and spatial dynamics across literature and film/television, with expertise spanning Postcolonial Literature, African American Literature, Film and Media Studies, Victorian Literature, Gender Studies, Communication Ethics, and Women's Studies.

Recent publications explore 19th-century women's writing, Thomas Hardy's novels, early Asian American literature, and Victorian travel narratives. These works collectively advance feminist literary criticism, postcolonial studies, and media analysis through examinations of terror, liberation, mobility, and imperial violence.

Notable honors include:

• Excellence in Teaching Award, Arts & Humanities Division (2023)
• Teagle/NEH Planning Grant, Learning for Living (2021-2022)
• Charles W. Sallis Outstanding Faculty Service Award (2013)
• Mississippi Humanities Council Humanities Teacher of the Year at Millsaps Award (2008)

Professor Franey implements innovative pedagogical approaches including podcast creation in Sports Communication and ethical decision-making exercises, actively promoting Black creativity in film and literature while co-directing the Millsaps Quality Enhancement Project team.